


No More Than He Deserved

by dbskyler



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, Humor, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 14:45:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15932600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dbskyler/pseuds/dbskyler
Summary: There's a reason why Colonel Mace keeps saluting the Doctor.





	No More Than He Deserved

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when you make me wait two weeks for part two, and I start thinking, "Wouldn't it be really cool if . . .?" Takes place during "Sontaran Stratagem / Poison Sky."

The first time Colonel Mace saluted him, the Doctor was almost amused. Annoyed, but amused. These UNIT people. So military. How many times in the old days had he made fun of the Brigadier for adhering to all the military nonsense?  All the "yes, sir"s and "no, sir"s and saluting and giving orders -- the Doctor had absolutely refused to go along with any of it.  Not even a little bit, not even though he was employed by UNIT, and not even though he was also rather dependent on UNIT due to having been exiled to Earth with a non-working TARDIS. He was a scientific advisor but not a soldier, he had made that very clear. And he had managed to get his own way, of course. Not that there had ever been a chance that he wouldn't. Both he and the Brigadier had known that right from the start.

The second time Colonel Mace saluted him, it was irritating. After all, he'd already told the man not to do it after the first time. So why had he done it again? Was it reflex? A habit? Was it something these UNIT people just _had_ to do? Couldn't they lay off, just until the crisis was over?

The third time Colonel Mace saluted him, it was infuriating. It hadn't been just a salute, it had been the full "stand at attention and salute" treatment. While _thanking_ him. Colonel Mace had actually thanked him for his help, and saluted him while doing so. It took all the pleasure out of being thanked, and being thanked was one of the Doctor's favorite bits.

"Why do you keep doing that?" yelled the Doctor. "I tell you not to do it, and you do it anyway! And in between you've kept calling me 'sir' when I told you not to do that either, and now here you are saluting me again, and it's almost like you're doing it on purpose to annoy me! Can't you understand when I tell you to _stop_?"

"It really bothers you when I salute you?" asked Colonel Mace. His face was a mask of confusion.

"Yes! It really bothers me! How many times do I have to tell you? It really bothers me!"

"But I thought he knew you," the Colonel said.

"You thought who knew me?" asked the Doctor.

"Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.   When I heard you were coming, I called him to get advice on how to deal with you. He told me that I should be sure to salute you a lot and call you 'sir,' and to ignore you if you protested because secretly it was what you really wanted."

"The Brigadier said _that_?" asked the Doctor, incredulous.

"Yes," said the Colonel. "And he said I should show you all military respect."

"That doesn't make any sense," said the Doctor. "Why would he have told you that?"

"He said something about you deserving it."

The Doctor just stared at him.

Colonel Mace looked back at him thoughtfully. "Although I did wonder why he was laughing as he hung up the phone."


End file.
